Minnesota-based Gander Mountain Co. received approval from the Opelika City Council for an $8-million retail store development. The outdoor sporting goods retailer's development will be 52,000-square-feet and will create about 75 full-time and part-time jobs. Opelika will contribute $226,270 to he project.

Nearly five acres of land were annexed into Florence after the city council voted to approve the annexation in a step toward constructing a new Walmart. A large number of residents spoke against the Walmart project at the city council meeting. The land annexed is on the west side of Cloverdale Road.

A University of Alabama engineering professor has designed a "noise sponge" for combustion, which quiets the noise produced by airplane engines and heavy industrial facilities such as chemical factories.